Lead Poisoning Plus Systemic Racism Are Harming Black Kids' Test Scores

TUESDAY, Aug. 16, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- It's well known that exposure to lead can harm young children's brain development. Now a new study suggests that racial segregation may be compounding the detrimental effects of lead on Black children.

The study, of close to 26,000 schoolchildren, found that Black children with ...

First Lady Jill Biden Has COVID-19

TUESDAY, Aug. 16, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- First Lady Jill Biden has COVID-19 and is experiencing "mild symptoms," according to her staff.

"After testing negative for COVID-19 on Monday during her regular testing cadence, the First Lady began to develop cold-like symptoms late in the evening," Biden's communications director Eliza...

Are High-Tech Blood Pressure Monitors Really Worth It?

TUESDAY, Aug. 16, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to taking your blood pressure at home, smart devices with lots of bells and whistles are no better than old-school monitors, which happen to cost much less.

This is the main finding of a new study that compared high-tech devices that link to your smartphone and pro...

AHA News: Heart Failure at Age 30 Brought on By Pregnancy

Fatima Mathews knew something wasn't right. She was more tired than she'd ever felt in her life.

"You just had a baby," her doctor reminded her. "It's normal to be tired."

She'd been feeling tired – and bloated and swollen – since the last few months of her pregnancy. And now it was time to go back to work. Mathews told herself s...

Premature Birth Tied to Higher Risk for ADHD

Children born a little early – before 39 weeks of pregnancy – are more likely to have symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new research suggests.

While birth before 37 weeks' gestation has known links to hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, this study investigated ADHD symptoms in children born at term, b...

Veterans Often Reluctant to Admit Struggles With Sleep, Addictions

A new study of U.S. military veterans reveals they are more comfortable getting help for physical ills than for mental health issues.

"The majority of participants indicated they would be willing to seek treatment for both physical and mental health problems. However, they reported significantly greater willingness to seek treatment for ph...

If a Child's Grades Falter, Consider Hearing Loss

While some may think of hearing loss as something that happens with age, it can also happen to kids.

Parents and teachers should consider hearing loss if a child's academic performance declines or he or she develops behavioral issues, lack of focus and depression, the American Academy of Audiology advises.

“Because children often d...

'Virtual' Museum Visits Are Good Medicine for Seniors

By combining technology with interactive art activities, older people at home can have museums come to them -- and this can support their physical, mental and social well-being, a new study reports.

"This participatory art-based activity could become a model that could be offered in museums and arts institutions worldwide to promote activ...

Dog Contracts Monkeypox From Owners, Prompting Change to CDC Guidance

Adding yet another wrinkle to the monkeypox outbreak, a new case study suggests that people can pass the virus on to their pet dogs.

Therefore, people who are infected with the virus should avoid close contact with their pets, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control now advises in an updated guidance.

The change reflects the first docum...

U.S. Nursing Homes Are Understaffed, But Minority Communities Have It Worst

MONDAY, Aug. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Staffing shortages at nursing homes across the United States are severe in disadvantaged areas where needs may be greatest, researchers say.

The study — recently published in the — looked at staffing before the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that skilled clinical workers such a...

How Worried Should You Be About New Reports on Polio?

Poliovirus detected in New York City wastewater last week put public health officials on high alert, as it indicates the potentially paralyzing virus is circulating widely in the area.

But infectious disease experts say there's no need for families of fully vaccinated children to panic.

"The inactivated polio vaccine is part of the s...

Nerve Block Plus Lidocaine Clears Psoriasis in Small Study

MONDAY, Aug. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal injections of a common anesthetic may help clear the inflammatory skin condition psoriasis, a small pilot study suggests.

The study involved four patients with severe psoriasis, and researchers are describing it as a "proof-of-concept" — specifically, the idea that targe...

Scotland Becomes 1st Country to Provide Free Period Products

On Monday Scotland became the world's first country to help its residents with what activists supporting the move call "period poverty."

The country now offers free period products for anyone who needs them, a decision first made in November 2020 by unanimous approval in Scottish Parliament, according to CBS News.

Making the...

U.K. Is First Country to Approve Moderna's Omicron-Targeted COVID Vaccine

A COVID-19 booster that's targeted to the Omicron variant will be available soon — and it's already been approved in Britain.

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency was the first to give the go-ahead for the vaccine that was designed to fight both the original COVID virus from 2020 and the omicron BA.1 variant, whic...

Monkeypox May Get New Name to Curb Stigma

MONDAY, Aug. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Monkeypox could soon get a new name.

The World Health Organization announced Friday that it plans to rename the condition to eliminate any derogatory or racist connotations, a decision in alignment with current best practices for naming diseases.

"The naming of virus species is the...

Unpaid Time Off Work Rose 50% During Pandemic

U.S. workers without paid leave lost out on an estimated $28 billion in wages during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report.

The analysis showed that the greatest increases in unpaid absences were among low-income workers who were self-employed, Black or Hispanic, female, or raising families with children. ...

Heat, Smoke & the Heart: Wildfires Cause Cardiac Crises

While most people know that breathing in wildfire smoke isn’t good for respiratory health, they may not know that unclean air is also problematic for the heart.

Individuals with underlying cardiovascular disease risk factors may also be at risk from the smoky air impacting their heart conditions, according to the American Heart Associat...

One Back-to-School Worry for Parents: Traffic Dangers

The dangers of school traffic is a major worry for many parents, a new poll finds.

In fact, a third of more than 900 parents surveyed last spring said speeding and distracted parent drivers are their main concern, and drivers who don't follow the rules should be banned from school parking areas.

According to the C.S. Mott Children's...

Playing Football, Hockey in High School Ups Odds for Stimulant Abuse

Taking part in certain sports in high school may lead to misuse of prescription stimulants in the years after graduation, a new study finds.

It reported that high school seniors who play contact sports are 50% more likely to abuse prescription stimulants in their 20s. Seniors who take part in any sport are more likely than those who don't ...

COVID Vaccine Safe for Pregnant Women: Study

The most popular COVID-19 vaccines are safe to use in pregnancy, a large, new Canadian study has concluded.

About 4% of pregnant women given an mRNA vaccine had a significant health event within a week of their first dose, and about 7% did after dose two, according to data gathered from more than 191,000 Canadian women.

By comparison...